Workplace Violence, Psychological Safety, and Decent Work Perception: A Longitudinal Mediation Study Among Clinical Nurses

ABSTRACT

Aims

This study examined the dynamic relationship between workplace violence and decent work perception among clinical nurses, specifically exploring the mediating role of psychological safety.

Design

A longitudinal study using a cross-lagged panel model.

Methods

A longitudinal follow-up survey was conducted in mainland China. A total of 534 nurses completed measures of workplace violence, decent work perception, and psychological safety. Data were analysed using SPSS 27.0, and structural equation modelling was performed with AMOS 24.0 to evaluate longitudinal causal relationships and mediation effects among the study variables.

Results

The results indicated that workplace violence, psychological safety, and decent work perception were significantly correlated across three time points (T1–T3). Moreover, workplace violence exerted a significant direct effect on decent work perception. Cross-lagged panel modelling further demonstrated that psychological safety at T2 significantly mediated the relationship between workplace violence at T1 and decent work perception at T3.

Conclusion

This longitudinal study confirms that workplace violence diminishes nurses' decent work perception both directly and indirectly through the depletion of psychological safety. Psychological safety is identified as a key mechanism linking violence exposure to eroded work dignity.

Implications

Policymakers should integrate ‘decent work’ indicators into hospital accreditation standards and mandate periodic psychological safety assessments. Institutional policies must transition from reactive statements to proactive systems that prioritise resource restoration and legal support for victimised nurses to ensure a sustainable workforce.

Patient or Public Contribution

No patient or public involvement.

Reporting Method

This study adhered to the STROBE guidelines.

The mediating and moderating roles of surface acting and perceived organizational support in the relationship between perceived overqualification and silence behavior among young nurses: A cross-sectional study

by Dongrun Liu, Qixu Zhou, Shiwei Ma, Song Zhang, Yang Liu, Huanhuan Zhang, Kaige Li, Chaoran Chen

Young nurses represent the primary workforce for the future of the nursing industry. However, they often experience a heightened sense of overqualification, which can easily lead to silence behavior, negatively impacting personal well-being, organizational development, and the quality of nursing care. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between perceived overqualification and silence behavior among young nurses, as well as the mediating role of surface acting and the moderating role of perceived organizational support.

The Scale of Perceived Overqualification, the surface acting dimension of the Emotional Labor Scale, the Employee Silence Scale, and the Perceived Organizational Support Scale were used to conduct a cross-sectional survey of 1,095 young nurses from six general hospitals in China. A moderated mediation model was constructed, and data were analyzed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Models 4 and 59).

There are significant correlations among perceived overqualification, surface acting, silence behavior, and perceived organizational support (p  Conclusion

Reducing young nurses’ perceived overqualification, decreasing surface acting, and enhancing perceived organizational support may help reduce the occurrence of silence behavior. Nursing managers should provide young nurses with appropriate career development opportunities, offer training in emotional regulation and stress management, and foster an open, psychologically safe communication environment and supportive organizational climate. These strategies may effectively intervene in silence behavior and contribute to improving team vitality and the quality of nursing services.